Uninterrupted alternating air circulation for use in lumber kilns

ABSTRACT

Kiln design that uses a series of at least two subsections with airflow in constant but alternating directions instead of using bi-directional fans that periodically reverse directions. The uninterrupted alternating air flow may be used in continuous drying kilns (CDK) with two sets of carriages carrying spaced stacks of lumber travel in opposite directions through a sequence of chambers. The uninterrupted alternating air flow may be used with a set of at least one pathway for carriages carrying lumber to be dried where all carriages move from a first end of the kiln to a second end of the kiln.

This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/831,361 filed Mar. 14, 2013 for Uninterrupted AlternatingAir Circulation for Continuous Drying Lumber Kilns. The '361 applicationis incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure applies to systems of the continuous drying kiln (CDK)design, (also referred to as dual path or triple length kilns), in whichtwo paths of lumber travel in opposite directions through a sequence ofchambers in which wood is pre-heated, dried, equalized and thenconditioned. This disclosure also applies to unidirectional kilns whereone or more sets of carriages on one or more sets of pathways to conveylumber through a first end of a kiln to a second end of a kiln.

FIG. 1 introduces a series of elements found in continuous drying kilns.Typically a continuous drying kiln will have a structure 104 with afirst end 108 and a second end 112 at the opposite end of the structure104. Running through the structure 104, is a first pathway 116 and asecond pathway 120. The pathways frequently use rails 124 to guide afirst set of carriages 128 along the first pathway 116 and a second setof carriages 132 along the second pathway 120. The carriages (128 132)may have wheels (not shown) much like those found on railroad cars.

If the first set of carriages 128 enters the structure 104 through thefirst end 108 and exits through the second end 112, then the second setof carriages 132 enters the structure 104 through the second end 112 andexits through the first end 108. Thus, when lumber 130 is stacked on thecarriages (128 and 132) and exposed to heat in the main drying section300, the heated lumber 136 passes near lumber that has not yet been inthe main drying section 300 (green lumber 140). Note the simplifieddrawing in FIG. 1 shows the lumber as an essentially solid stack. Thisis not the case. Spacers (not shown) are placed across each layer ofboards within each stack of lumber 130 to provide open area for airmovement through the lumber stack 156. Weights (not shown) on top ofeach lumber stack 156 compress the lumber 130 and spacers providerestraint, minimize warping, and prevent boards from falling off of thetop of the lumber stack. To minimize the air flow that might otherwisego over the top of the lumber stack 156 within the structure 104,structure 104 has longitudinal baffles (220 FIG. 2) that are alignedwith the long axis of the structure 104 and thus aligned with thedirection the lumber stacks travel through the kiln and orthogonal tothe flow of air from the first side 144 to the second side 148 of thestructure or to the flow of air from the second side 148 to the firstside 144 of the structure 104. These longitudinal baffles 220 aredesigned to minimize the leakage of air between the fan deck (224discussed below) and the top of the lumber stack 152, thus directing theair to flow through the air spaces between the layers of lumber 130separated by spacers in the lumber stacks.

In the first end energy recovery section 310 and in the second endenergy recovery section 340, the heated lumber 136 passes heat to thegreen lumber 140 to partially heat and dry the green lumber 140 and thegreen lumber 140 cools the heated lumber 136 by absorbing heat and byevaporating the moisture content of the green lumber 140.

Thus, lumber stack 156 starts as green lumber 140 stacked upon the firstset of carriages 128 with spacers to allow for air flow amongst stackedlumber 136. As the first set of carriages 128 moves along the firstpathway 116, the green lumber 140 is exposed to air that is circulatingin the first end energy recovery section 310. FIG. 2 shows a crosssection of the first end energy recovery section 310, operating in afirst circulation direction 204 as fans 200 push the air in the firstcirculation direction 204. The fans 200 operate in openings in a centerwall 228 that extends above the fan deck 224. The center wall 228 helpspromote circulation by having a high pressure side downstream of the fan200 and a low pressure side upstream from the fan 200.

Having an appropriate pressure gradient from the high pressure side ofthe center wall 228 to the low pressure side will cause a desireddistribution of circulating air amongst the stacked lumber across thetwo sets of carriages (128 and 132). Heat from heated lumber 136 on thesecond pathway 120 partially dries and heats the green lumber 140.Likewise the moisture from the green lumber 140 helps cool the heatedlumber 136. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the heating ofthe green lumber 140 is going to be most pronounced as the hot airreaches the green lumber 140 directly after leaving the heated lumber136 and before the circulating air returns to the fans 200 above the fandeck 224. Likewise, one of skill in the art will appreciate that thecooling of the heated lumber 136 is going to be most pronounced as themoist air reaches the heated lumber 136 directly after leaving the greenlumber 140 and before the circulating air returns to the fans 200 abovethe fan deck 224.

To reduce the variability between lumber 130 on the first side 144 andthe second side 148 of the first set of carriages 132 or the second setof carriages 132, the fans 200 are periodically stopped and allowed tocoast to a full stop. Then the fans 200 are operated in the reversedirection to push air in the second circulation direction as shown inFIG. 3. Now air that has made a complete pass through the heated lumber136 enters the green lumber 140 on the first side 144 of the greenlumber 140 and the air that has passed through the green lumber 140enters the heated lumber 136 on the first side 144.

Normal practice is to reverse the fan direction about once every two tofour hours. The period of running the fan in one direction is oftencalled a fan cycle. The overall time to cure the lumber is frequently 40hours although it may be longer for wood needing extra drying. As thefirst end energy recovery section 310, main drying section 300, andsecond end energy recovery section 340 all have fans that areperiodically stopped and reversed (usually at the same time), aparticular stack of lumber on a carriage should expect to have the fansstop approximately 10, 13, 20, or even more times during transit throughthe structure 104.

When heated lumber 136 that has recently passed through the main dryingsection 300 and entered the first end energy recovery section 310 or thesecond end energy recovery section 340, there is a risk that heavilydried and heated hot spots on the heated lumber 136 may be smoldering.Fire may be less likely in the main drying section if oxygen levels arereduced from exposure to an external direct fired burning furnace.However, even a momentary lack of circulation in an energy recoversection can increase fire risk as the circulation of cooler moist airfrom the green lumber 140 abates and a hot spot may progress to an openfire. Thus, many structures include intermediate orthogonal baffles 320within the energy recovery sections (310 and 340) to limit the travel ofoxygen rich air from the first end 108 or the second end 112 towards thelumber in the energy recovery sections (310 or 340) that has recentlyemerged from the main drying section 300. While first end energyrecovery section 310 and second end energy recovery section 340 both areshown with a single set of intermediate orthogonal baffles 320, theremay be additional intermediate orthogonal baffles 320 to subdivide thefirst end energy recovery section 310 and second end energy recoverysection 340 into additional energy recovery subsections (314, 318, 344,and 348 in FIG. 1). Additional orthogonal partitions 324 define theboundaries of the main drying section 300 although conventionalstructures do not currently have subsections within the main dryingsection 300.

The first end 108, and second end 112 may have some level of orthogonalbaffles to limit the ingress of oxygen and loss of heat, but thestructure 104 is typically far from hermetically sealed as there is aneed for water vapor to leave the structure 104 at the first end 108 andsecond end 112 often as visible fog.

Returning to the processing of lumber stack 156 stacked upon the firstset of carriages 128, eventually, the lumber stack 156 progresses fromthe first end energy recovery section 310 through orthogonal partitions324 to enter the main drying section 300.

The main drying section 300 is much like the energy recovery sections310 and 340 with a set of bi-directional fans 200 located above a fandeck 224 circulating air alternatively in the first circulationdirection 204 and the second circulation direction 208. Longitudinalbaffles 220 keep the circulating air from passing between the top of thelumber stacks 152 and the fan deck 224. A complication in the maindrying section 300 for direct fired kilns is that an additionalcirculation path is needed to move air from the structure 104 to amixing chamber where hot flue gas from a direct fired burner is mixedwith the returning air from the structure 104 to create a mix within aprescribed temperature range.

This mix of heated air and flue gas is returned to the main dryingsection 300 to increase the temperature and decrease the humidity of thereturn air which is reintroduced to the main drying section 300. Ablower forces heated air leaving the mixing chamber into a distributionduct that extends the length of the main drying section 300. Thedistribution duct may release heated air in an upward direction throughapertures in the top surfaces of the fan deck 224 or it may also releaseheated air in a downward direction through slotted vertical ducts, whichare called downcomers, that are located between the first pathway 116and second pathway 120 below the fan deck 224. The apertures anddowncomers may be tuned to promote uniform distribution of the heatedair. The flue gas leaving the direct fire burner may be near 2000degrees Fahrenheit but after mixing with the return air from thestructure 104, may return to the main drying section 300 at 450 degreesFahrenheit which is nearly twice the main drying section set point airtemperature which is often between 240 degrees Fahrenheit and 260degrees Fahrenheit.

As one can imagine, the process of stopping the fans 200 in the maindrying section 300 poses special problems as circulation from the fans200 is needed to avoid overheating the top of the lumber stacks 152.Thus, while fans 200 are slowing, stopping, and coming back up to speedin the opposite direction, the blower continues to deliver additionalair to the structure 104. During this time period when fan direction isbeing reversed, the burner abort stack (not shown) opens momentarily andthe direct fired burner (1534 in FIG. 5 discussed below) is placed onidle in order to maintain the operating of the temperature in the directfired burner (1534) while suspending heat energy delivery from thedirect fired burner (1534) to the main drying section 300. The openingof the abort stack allows ambient air into the mixing chamber (1538below), during which time the opening of the return air damper acts toincrease recirculation of air flow from the kiln structure 104 into themixing chamber (1538) at the same time that the amount of heat beingpassed from the direct fired burner (1534) into the mixing chamber(2538) is reduced.

Eventually, lumber stack 156 stacked upon the first set of carriages 128emerges from the main drying section 300 through orthogonal partitions324 to enter the second end energy recovery section 340. Now the lumberis heated lumber 136 giving off heat and drying green lumber 140 oncarriages 132 on the second pathway 120. The heated lumber 136 isexposed to air moving in the first circulation direction 204 and in thesecond circulation direction 208 as the bi-directional fans 200 areperiodically turned off, allowed to coast to a stop, and then restartedin the opposite direction.

The lumber stack 156 emerges from the second end 112 and is eventuallyremoved from the carriage 132.

Lumber on carriages 132 on the second pathway 120 receive the samesequence of treatments but travel in the opposite direction from thesecond end 112 to the first end 108.

The process of reversing from the first circulation direction 204 to thesecond circulation direction 208 may take fifteen minutes or more beforethe fully developed air flow pattern and dry bulb set point temperaturesare regained. The sequence is as follows. First, the fans 200 arede-energized and allowed to coast to a full stop. After ample timeelapses for all fans 200 in all sections of the structure 104 toreliably come to a full stop, the fans 200 are restarted in the oppositedirection and eventually establish circulation at the desired speed.While the time to allow the fans to coast to a stop and restart may beas short as five minutes, some interruptions in the provision of heatmay be in the 15 minute range as the heating system may be turned offbefore the fans are de-energized and heat may not be fully resumed for afew minutes after the fans have been re-energized. While the fans 200are not energized and providing circulation at the desired rate, severalthings are not happening.

-   -   1) Heat is not being added to the main drying section so the        process of drying the lumber slows down. In the case of a steam        radiator system, the loss of air flow will decrease the heat        delivered to the main drying section 300 even if the steam is        not isolated from the steam radiators.    -   2) Heat from a direct fired burner (if this is used rather than        a steam system discussed below) turned down as direct fired        burner goes to idle mode in order to avoid heating. After        idling, the dynamics of the direct fired burner may require time        to return to full operating levels of heat production.    -   3) Temperatures within the structure may develop local hot spots        as circulation is needed to prevent hot spots.    -   4) Heated and now dry lumber does not receive the circulation        from green lumber and may develop overheated sections.    -   5) The advancement of carriages will be slowed. Many structures        use a periodic push of the carriages for movement rather than        extremely slow continuous movement, but in either event, the        push rate is selected to allow for the appropriate drying and        curing of the lumber so that the lumber is within the structure        104 for an adequate time.

Number of 15 minute transitions for 40 hour Percentage Length transitthrough of time that heat is NOT of fan cycle the structure being addedto the structure. 2 hour fan cycle 20 1/9 - approximately 11 percent. 3hour fan cycle At least 13 1/13 - approximately 7.7 percent. 4 hour fancycle 10 1/17 - approximately 5.9 percent.

While there may not be a one to one relationship between the percentageof time that heat is not being delivered to the structure 104 and areduction from optimal throughput for the structure, the loss inthroughput should be proportion to the loss of time spent heating thestructure 104

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure teaches the use fans to circulate heated air todry lumber in a kiln. The fans do not periodically stop and reversedirections as in prior art designs. Instead, the alternating directionof air flow is provided by moving the carriage of lumber from onesubsection of the kiln with air always moving in a first direction to anadjacent subsection of the kiln where the air always moves in theopposite direction from the first direction. Elimination of fanreversals will enhance kiln fire safety and reduce the time and energyrequired to heat lumber in kilns, while improving the quality anduniformity of lumber being processed. Aspects of the teachings containedwithin this disclosure are addressed in the claims submitted with thisapplication upon filing. Rather than adding redundant restatements ofthe contents of the claims, these claims should be consideredincorporated by reference into this summary.

This summary is meant to provide an introduction to the concepts thatare disclosed within the specification without being an exhaustive listof the many teachings and variations upon those teachings that areprovided in the extended discussion within this disclosure. Thus, thecontents of this summary should not be used to limit the scope of theclaims that follow.

Inventive concepts are illustrated in a series of examples, someexamples showing more than one inventive concept. Individual inventiveconcepts can be implemented without implementing all details provided ina particular example. It is not necessary to provide examples of everypossible combination of the inventive concepts provided below as one ofskill in the art will recognize that inventive concepts illustrated invarious examples can be combined together in order to address a specificapplication.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the disclosedteachings will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the artupon examination of the following figures and detailed description. Itis intended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within the scope of and be protected by theaccompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure can be better understood with reference to the followingfigures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of thedisclosure. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a continuous kiln as exists in prior art

FIG. 2 is a diagram of clockwise rotation of heated air trough lumberstacks

FIG. 3 is a diagram of counter-clockwise rotation of heated air troughlumber stacks.

FIG. 4 shows a continuous kiln using teachings from the presentdisclosure that illustrates some of the teachings of the presentdisclosure with a main drying section shown pulled out of the structurein order to provide context for FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 provides an enlarged view of the main drying section used with adirect fired burner.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative main drying section that uses steam heatexchangers to provide heat to the main drying section.

FIG. 7 shows a unidirectional kiln that has all lumber traveling in asingle direction that illustrates some teachings from the presentdisclosure with a main drying section shown pulled out of the structurein order to provide context for FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 provides an enlarged view of the main drying section from FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Use with Continuous Drying Kilns.

FIG. 4 shows a structure 1104 that illustrates some of the teachings ofthe present disclosure. Many elements present in FIG. 4 were introducedduring the discussion of prior art structure 104 in FIG. 1. Structure1104 has a first end 108 and a second end 112 and a first side 144 and asecond side 148. Lumber 130 is stacked upon the first set of carriages128 on rails 124 forming the first pathway 116 to traverse the structure1104 from the first end 108 through the second end 112. Lumber 130 isstacked upon the second set of carriages 132 to traverse the structure1104 from the second end 112 through the first end 108. The manner ofstacking lumber 130 upon carriages with spacers (sometimes called“stickers”) and weights may be the same as discussed in connection withFIG. 1. As described in more detail below, the lumber 130 is exposed toperiods of air movement in the first circulation direction 204 and toperiods of air movement in the second circulation direction 208 as therelevant carriage passes through the structure 1104.

Structure 1104 differs from structure 104 in that the main dryingsection 1300 has a number of orthogonal MD partitions 1504 to subdividethe main drying section 1300 which is bounded by orthogonal partitions324.

Thus main drying section 1300 has, in this instance, four subsections1508, 1512, 1516, and 1520. The number of main drying sectionsubsections does not need to be four but will be at least two and willusually be an even number of subsections as there is apt to be a desireto expose the lumber to equal ranges of the main drying section operatedin the first circulation direction 204 and the second circulationdirection 208 (as described below).

FIG. 5 provides an image of the main drying section 1300 in greaterdetail. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the details in FIG. 5 andthe structure 1104 by showing an image of the main drying section 1300pulled out of the structure 1104.

Turning to FIG. 5, a main drying section 1300 with subsections 1508,1512, 1516, 1520 defined by orthogonal partitions 324 and orthogonal MDpartitions 1504. A return air duct 1530 draws air from one or moresubsections 1508, 1512, 1516, and 1520. If not directly connected to allsubsections, the return air duct 1530 is apt to be connected to the oneor two subsections in the middle of the main drying section 1300 or tothe two ends of the main drying section 1300 to promote movement of airacross the length of the main drying section 1300. Note that while thevarious orthogonal MD partitions 1504 impede the flow of airlongitudinally, the seal is not perfect and air will flow based onpressure gradients. A direct fired burner 1534 (represented here by aflame) feeds burner exhaust at approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheitinto a mixing chamber 1538 to provide a mix of burner exhaust withreturn air from the return air duct 1530 to provide an output suppliedto the main drying section 1300 above the main drying section set pointwhich is often between 240 degrees Fahrenheit and 260 degreesFahrenheit. The heated air is supplied via the supply duct 1546 anddistributed to the space between the fan deck 224, to the tops of thelumber stacks 156 and through down comers, located between the firstpathway 116 and second pathway 120 below the fan deck 224. The airmoving to and from the mixing chamber 1538 may be moved by a blower 1542located after the mixing chamber 1538.

As lumber 130 on the first set of carriages 132 passes through theorthogonal partition 324 separating the main drying section 1300 fromthe first end energy recovery section 1310 (FIG. 4), the lumber 130 isexposed to air moving in the first circulation direction 204. The air inthe first subsection 1508 of the main drying section 1300 always movesin the first circulation direction 204 as structure 1104 uses fans 1200that are operated in a single direction. The fans 1200 may bebi-directional fans like fans 200 that are used in a retrofittedstructure or they may be unidirectional fans that are optimized to pushair in one direction only with blades designed for this purpose but lackthe additional design features and components needed for abi-directional fan.

The fans 1200 in subsections 1508 and 1516 push air in the firstcirculation direction 204. But fans 1200 in subsections 1512 and 1520push air in the second circulation direction 208. Thus, lumber stack 156on first set of carriages 128 or the second set of carriages 132 issubject to alternating circulation directions (208 and 204) withoutintermediate periods of no circulation as fans are de-energized, slowedto a stop, and started in the opposite direction.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative main drying section 2300 that uses steamheat exchangers 2530 to provide heat to the alternative main dryingsection 2300. Analogous to the discussion of FIG. 5, in FIG. 6, the fans1200 in subsections 2508 and 2516 push air in the first circulationdirection 204. But fans 1200 in subsections 2512 and 2520 push air inthe second circulation direction 208. Thus, lumber stacks 156 on firstset of carriages 128 or the second set of carriages 132 is subject toalternating circulation directions (204 and 208) without intermediateperiods of no circulation as fans are de-energized, slowed to a stop,and started in the opposite direction.

The steam supply to the steam heat exchangers 2530 may be regulated withcontrol valves as is known in the art. While steam heat exchangers 2530are shown on both sides of the fans 1200, one of skill in the art willrecognize that the steam heat exchangers 2530 could be on a single sideof the fans 1200 or with additional heat exchangers between or besidesthe pathways (116 and 120).

Returning to FIG. 4, the intermediate orthogonal baffles 320 of FIG. 1may be termed intermediate orthogonal partitions 1320. Thus, fans insubsection 1314 may continuously circulate air in the first circulationdirections 204 and fans in subsection 1318 may continuously circulateair in the second circulation direction 208 so that movement of acarriage between subsection 1318 and subsection 1508 results in a changein air circulation direction from the second circulation direction 208to the first circulation direction 204 or the reverse, depending on thedirection of movement of the carriage 128 or 132. Likewise, fans 1200 insubsection 1348 may continuously circulate air in the second circulationdirections 208 and fans 1200 in subsection 1344 may continuouslycirculate air in the first circulation direction 204 so that movement ofa carriage between subsection 1520 and subsection 1344 results in achange in air circulation direction.

One of skill in the art can appreciate that instead of using twosubsections per energy recovery section (1310 and 1340) that one coulduse four or other even numbers of subsections. One could also use an oddnumber of subsections in the energy recovery sections (1310 and 1340)potentially by changing the lengths of the subsections so that the totalamount of time subject to each circulation direction (204 and 208) ismaintained equal even if done in a different number of segments.Alternatively, there may be a bias to pass heat from heated lumber togreen lumber or moisture from green lumber to heated lumber.

While not absolutely required, it is expected that in most instances,there will be an even number of subsections in the alternative maindrying section (1300 or 2300) and there will be the same number ofsubsections in the first end energy recovery section 1310 as in thesecond end energy recovery section 1340.

The orthogonal partitions 324, 1320, and 1504 use baffles created toallow passage of a carriage loaded as intended (with lumber, spacers,and weights) but substantially conform to that profile so thatlongitudinal flow of air is limited. However, as the stacking of lumber,spacers, and weights may have some small variation from carriage tocarriage, the baffles must have a capacity to give way when a largerthan expected profile attempts to cross an orthogonal partition. Thebaffles are intended to be easy to adjust or replace during maintenanceoutages so that longitudinal air flow continues to be effectivelyresisted.

Placing a set of baffles on a faux partition external to the structure1104 for pathways heading toward the structure 1104 may be useful toallow adjustments to the green lumber 140, spacers, and weights on acarriage to minimize the amount of contact with the baffles inside thestructure 1104. Working for conformity with the expected profile for aloaded carriage will reduce wear on the baffles inside the structure1104 which will mean better resistance to longitudinal air flow overtime and will reduce the risk that a grossly misaligned piece of lumberor weight will be knocked off the carriage by a baffle unable to moveout of the way of such a misaligned stack.

As the direction of airflow in the energy recovery subsections adjacentto the main drying section is fixed, the structure may be optimized toprovide the direction of airflow in these critical sections that is mostuseful for preventing an outbreak of fire on the recently heated lumber.For example, it may be prudent in these energy recovery subsectionsnearest the main drying section to always circulate air to push air fromthe green lumber directly onto the heated lumber to maximize the coolingeffect on the heated lumber, especially as the lumber enters subsectionswith oxygen contents closer to atmospheric levels. Alternatively, someinstallations may want to design the structure with the concept that thehot air leaving the heated lumber is pushed directly onto the greenlumber without going through a circulation fan to maximize the dryingeffect on the green lumber. With fixed flow directions per subsection,the designer has the opportunity to optimize a design as the flowconfronting each carriage of lumber will be the same for thatsubsection, and the order of circulation flow directions encountered bythe lumber will be the same for all carriages as they pass through thedrying process. A structure 104 using mirror image energy recoverysections 314 and 318 will subject the first set of carriages 128 and thesecond set of carriages 128 to the same sequence and durations of firstcirculation direction 204 and second circulation direction 208. In theevent, a designer does not opt for mirror images, then the sequence willdiffer.

Use with Unidirectional Kilns.

The teachings of the present disclosure may be used with unidirectionalkilns that have all lumber travel in a single direction. While theconcept is expressed in connection with drawings that show a single setof carriages conveying lumber from a first end to the second end of astructure, the concept is applicable to structures having two or moresets of carriages conveying lumber on parallel pathways from the firstend to the second end of the structure. Thus, if the drawings of FIG. 4,FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 were assumed to show two parallel pathways 116 and 120where all carriages 128 and 132 move from the first end 108 to thesecond end 112, these drawings could be used to demonstrate the use withtwo parallel pathways both traveling in the same direction. Theinvention may be extended to three or more parallel pathways.

As the need for drying time in the structure may differ for one batch oflumber to another batch as the thickness, moisture content, and otherparameters may differ from one batch of lumber to another batch, nothingin this disclosure should be interpreted to require that all carriageson all pathways move at the same speed or pattern so that the lumberspends the same amount of time within the structure no matter whichpathway the lumber is on.

FIG. 7 shows a structure 3104 that illustrates some of the teachings ofthe present disclosure. Many elements present in FIG. 7 were introducedduring the discussion of prior art structure 104 in FIG. 1. Structure3104 has a first end 108 and a second end 112 and a first side 144 and asecond side 148. Lumber 130 is stacked upon a set of carriages 3128 onrails 3124 forming the first pathway 116 to traverse the structure 3104from the first end 108 through the second end 112. The manner ofstacking lumber 130 upon carriages with spacers (sometimes called“stickers”) and weights may be the same as discussed in connection withFIG. 1. As described in more detail below, the lumber 130 is exposed toperiods of air movement in the first circulation direction 204 and toperiods of air movement in the second circulation direction 208 as therelevant carriage passes through the structure 3104.

Structure 4104 differs from structure 104 in that the main dryingsection 4300 has a number of orthogonal MD partitions 4504 (See FIG. 8)to subdivide the main drying section 4300 which is bounded by orthogonalpartitions 324 (See FIG. 8) to separate the main drying section 4300from first chamber 4310 and third chamber 4340.

The first chamber 4310 and may or may not have a capacity to provideadditional heat to the lumber as first chamber 4310 may simply allowheat from main drying section 4300 to pass into first chamber 4310 topreheat the lumber. The third chamber 4340 and may or may not have acapacity to provide additional heat to the lumber as third chamber 4340may simply allow the heated lumber exiting from the main drying section4300 to become uniformly heated as heat passes from the exterior of thelumber to the interior and to cool down before leaving the second side148.

FIG. 5 provides an image of the main drying section 4300 in greaterdetail. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the details in FIG. 8 andthe structure 3104 by showing an image of the main drying section 4300pulled out of the structure 4104.

Main drying section 4300 has, in this instance, four subsections 4508,4512, 4516, and 4520. The number of main drying section subsections doesnot need to be four but will be at least two and will usually be an evennumber of subsections as there is apt to be a desire to expose thelumber to equal ranges of the main drying section operated in the firstcirculation direction 204 and the second circulation direction 208 (asdescribed below).

Turning to FIG. 8, a main drying section 4300 with subsections 4508,4512, 4516, 4520 defined by orthogonal partitions 324 and orthogonal MDpartitions 4504.

The main drying section 4300 may have a return duct that draws air fromone or more subsections in the manner discussed in connection with FIG.5. Note that while the various orthogonal MD partitions 4504 impede theflow of air longitudinally, the seal is not perfect and air will flowbased on pressure gradients. As discussed in connection with FIG. 5, adirect fired burner feeds burner exhaust at approximately 2000 degreesFahrenheit into a mixing chamber to provide a mix of burner exhaust withreturn air from the return air duct to provide an output supplied to themain drying section 4300 above the main drying section set point whichis often between 240 degrees Fahrenheit and 260 degrees Fahrenheit. Asdiscussed in connection with FIG. 5, the heated air is supplied via thesupply duct and distributed to the space between the fan deck 224, tothe tops of the lumber stacks 3156. As discussed in connection with FIG.5, the air moving to and from the mixing chamber may be moved by ablower located after the mixing chamber.

As lumber 130 on the set of carriages 3128 passes through the orthogonalpartition 324 separating the main drying section 4300 from the firstchamber 4310 (FIG. 7), the lumber 130 is exposed to air moving in thefirst circulation direction 204. The air in the first subsection 4508 ofthe main drying section 4300 always moves in the first circulationdirection 2084 as structure 4104 uses fans 1200 that are operated in asingle direction. The fans 1200 may be bi-directional fans like fans 200that are used in a retrofitted structure or they may be unidirectionalfans that are optimized to push air in one direction only with bladesdesigned for this purpose but lack the additional design features andcomponents needed for a bi-directional fan.

The fans 1200 in subsections 4508 and 4516 push air in the firstcirculation direction 204. But fans 1200 in subsections 1512 and 1520push air in the second circulation direction 208. Thus, lumber stack3156 on the set of carriages 3128 is subject to alternating circulationdirections (204 and 208) without intermediate periods of no circulationas fans are de-energized, slowed to a stop, and started in the oppositedirection.

The teachings of the present disclosure may be applied to a structurethat has all carriage pathways travel in a single direction and usessteam heat exchangers to provide heat to the main drying section asdiscussed in connection with FIG. 6. The steam supply to the heatexchangers may be regulated with control valves as is known in the art.

Returning to FIG. 7, the intermediate orthogonal baffles 320 of FIG. 1may be termed intermediate orthogonal partitions 4320. Thus, fans insubsection 4314 may continuously circulate air in the first circulationdirections 204 and fans in subsection 4318 may continuously circulateair in the second circulation direction 208 so that movement of acarriage between subsection 4318 and subsection 4508 (FIG. 8) results ina change in air circulation direction from the second circulationdirection 208 to the first circulation direction 204. Likewise, fans1200 in subsection 4348 may continuously circulate air in the firstcirculation directions 204 and fans 1200 in subsection 4348 maycontinuously circulate air in the second circulation direction 208 sothat movement of a carriage between subsection 4520 (FIG. 8) andsubsection 4344 results in a change in air circulation direction.

One of skill in the art can appreciate that instead of using twosubsections in the first chamber 4310 or the third chamber 4340 that onecould use four or other even numbers of subsections. One could also usean odd number of subsections in the first chamber 4310 or the thirdchamber 4340 potentially by changing the lengths of the subsections sothat the total amount of time subject to each circulation direction (204and 208) is maintained equal even if done in a different number ofsegments.

The orthogonal partitions 324, 4320, and 4504 use baffles created toallow passage of a carriage loaded as intended (with lumber, spacers,and weights) but substantially conform to that profile so thatlongitudinal flow of air is limited. However, as the stacking of lumber,spacers, and weights may have some small variation from carriage tocarriage, the baffles may have a capacity to give way when a larger thanexpected profile attempts to cross an orthogonal partition. The bafflesare intended to be easy to adjust or replace during maintenance outagesso that longitudinal air flow continues to be effectively resisted.

Placing a set of baffles on a faux partition external to the structure4104 for pathways heading toward the structure 4104 may be useful toallow adjustments to the green lumber 140, spacers, and weights on acarriage to minimize the amount of contact with the baffles inside thestructure 4104. Working for conformity with the expected profile for aloaded carriage will reduce wear on the baffles inside the structure4104 which will mean better resistance to longitudinal air flow overtime and will reduce the risk that a grossly misaligned piece of lumberor weight will be knocked off the carriage by a baffle unable to moveout of the way of such a misaligned stack.

Advantages from Using Continuous Fan Operation

One should expect that all other things being equal the push rate of astructure converted from reversing fan operation to alternating singledirection fan operation should increase as heat will continue to beapplied to the structure without interruption for fan directionreversals. As kilns of this type are frequently used continuously forextended periods and then serviced in a maintenance outage, an increasein push rate results in an increase in production capacity withoutdecreasing quality.

Operation of heating systems of any type are usually easier at steadystate and more difficult when there are transients since monitoringequipment set points must often be altered for transient conditions butmay be set to closer tolerances during steady state operation asdeviations are more meaningful during steady state operation.

One should expect reduced maintenance and operation costs from runningfans in a constant direction as motors and other components receiveadditional strain during the effort to start the motor and acceleratethe fan.

One should expect a reduced risk of fire in the structure 1304 or 4304as continuous airflow over lumber in carriages will reduce the formationof hot spots within the structure which might have occurred during acessation of air flow during a fan direction change. Hot spots during aperiod without air circulation may cause a portion of the structure tomove from an operating temperature of approximately 250 degreesFahrenheit to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Given that firesuppression sprinkler heads are used with thermally activated fuse linksthat are often designed to open between 330 degrees 360 degreesFahrenheit, there are risks that a thermal transient from a hot spotmight trigger a sprinkler which would not be useful for drying wood.More importantly, triggering fused sprinkler heads also requires andimmediate shutdown to replace the one-time activated fire suppressionequipment, resulting in significant production delays and loss ofproduction efficiency. With the use of single direction fans, the setpoints for fire protection equipment can be dropped to respond morequickly to true fires without the risk of responding to a transientthermal hot spot.

Fire Detection Instruments may be positioned and have alarm set-pointsoptimized for a particular subsection. Knowing the direction of air flowwill allow alarms to be placed in optimized locations. Tolerances fortemperature or smoke detection may be tuned to be more proactive as theinstruments will not have to compensate for the conditions associatedwith dead air disturbed only by natural thermal convection during theabsence of forced air circulation. Thus, with tighter tolerances, thefire detection and suppression equipment can react quicker to anyaberrant measurement that may indicate the onset of a fire. With the airlargely precluded from longitudinal movement by the orthogonalpartitions, smoke concentrations will rise faster in a particularsubsection than would otherwise be the case which will further assist inthe early detection of a fire. Fire suppression systems can be set toreact to indications of a minor fire by only applying water to thespecific subsection implicated as potentially having a fire. This avoidsunnecessary spoilage of lumber that is not at risk of fire. The firesuppression systems may be automatically or manually activated so thatinstances of activation will not necessarily require replacingequipment.

Given that the direction of air flow within a subsection is known, thefire suppression systems can be optimized for the direction of air flow.For example, side mounted fog or water deluge nozzles maybe placed toenvelope or soak the upwind side of a carriage enabling water dropletsto be carried by the air flow through the lumber from the upwind todownwind side of the carriage. Side mounted fog, deluge, or other nozzlearrays could be mounted on the upwind side of each of the one or morefirst pathways to optimize fire suppression options and to make use ofuninterrupted alternating air circulation.

A structure designed with the teachings of the present disclosure may beable to achieve air movement with less fan amps as fan blades designedfor unidirectional operation may be more efficient than the compromiseinherent in bi-directional fan blades. Typically, the delivered CFM permotor horse power is greater for unidirectional fan blades than it isfor fan blades that must be shaped and pitched to equally propel air inopposite directions based on alternating rotation.

Alternatives and Variations

Those of skill in the art will recognize that the direction of travel ofthe first set of carriages 128 on the first pathway 116 and the secondset of carriages 132 on the second pathway 120 may be reversed from thedirections discussed above without deviating from the teachings of thepresent disclosure.

While it is anticipated that many that use the teachings of the presentdisclosure will use unidirectional fans or will perpetually usebi-directional fans in one direction, the option remains of usingbi-directional fans and reversing the direction of all the fans during amaintenance overhaul if that is perceived to have a benefit ofelongating the life of any fan component.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that the formation ofpartitions to form subsections may be facilitated by choosing placeswithin the structure that have structural supports such as beams,pillars, and trusses.

A number of direct fire burners may be used to provide the heat ifdirect fire burners are used rather than steam. The burners used forwood kilns include biomass (such as green sawdust or wood waste) directfired burners, fossil fuel (such as coal, natural gas, or petroleumproducts) heating units, or other direct fired burners.

The push rate for moving carriages and the widths of subsection widthsmay be selected so that a carriage enters one subsection with onecirculation direction and then enters the next subsection to be subjectto airflow of the opposite circulation direction every two to fourhours. For some installations, a three hour interval may be optimal.Those of skill in the art will recognize that a kiln using lowertemperatures or flow rates, a different carriage width, or a differentamount of rows and spacers may find that a different time duration issuitable, perhaps less than two hours, perhaps more than four hours.

Sub-Sections of Different Lengths.

While the figures discussed above had uniform subsections lengths fromone end of the structure to the other end, this is not a requirement.

Finally, there may be times when a structure originally designed forreversing fan operation is upgraded to uni-direction operation. As thereare advantages to building the structures for partitions to coincidewith existing steel supports, one may make some adjustments tosub-section length to take advantage of existing structure. An importantcriterion is limiting the maximum time duration exposed to any onecirculation direction. A particularly long distance between existingstructural steel may be further subdivided into two or three subsectionsto avoid an overly prolonged exposure to circulation in one direction.

Turning Off Fans During a Fire Incident.

While there are advantages to having fire detection and suppressionequipment tuned for a single circulation direction rather than having tocompromise to accommodate both circulation directions (204 and 208), thefire suppression scheme may call for de-energizing at least some fans inthe structure to minimize the oxygen fed to the fire. Even in a systemthat anticipates using fire suppression with the fans de-energized,there will be advantages in early detection of a fire for a system thatdoes not have alternating circulation directions within a singlesubsection.

One of skill in the art will recognize that some of the alternativeimplementations set forth above are not universally mutually exclusiveand that in some cases additional implementations can be created thatemploy aspects of two or more of the variations described above.Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific examplesor particular embodiments provided to promote understanding of thevarious teachings of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of theclaims which follow covers the range of variations, modifications, andsubstitutes for the components described herein as would be known tothose of skill in the art.

The legal limitations of the scope of the claimed invention are setforth in the claims that follow and extend to cover their legalequivalents. Those unfamiliar with the legal tests for equivalencyshould consult a person registered to practice before the patentauthority which granted this patent such as the United States Patent andTrademark Office or its counterpart.

What is claimed is:
 1. A structure for curing lumber, the structurecomprising: at least one pathway for carriages holding lumber; a firstend of the structure for ingress of carriages holding lumber; a secondend of the structure for egress of carriages holding lumber; a firstside located between the first end and the second end; a second sidelocated between the first end and the second end such that the at leastone pathway for carriages runs from the first end to the second endbetween the first side and the second side; a set of partition bafflesto subdivide the structure into at least two subsections, the partitionbaffles operating to allow passage of carriages holding lumber towardsthe second end but interfere with a longitudinal flow of air from thefirst end towards the second end or from the second end towards thefirst end; and fans operating in a unidirectional mode to cause air flowto move in one circulation direction within a subsection but in adifferent circulation direction opposite of the one circulationdirection in an adjacent subsection so that the air flow alternatesbetween traveling across the carriage holding lumber from the first sideto the second side in one subsection and from the second side to thefirst side in the adjacent subsection whereby the carriages holdinglumber traverse from the first end of the structure to the second end ofthe structure without being in a subsection where all the fans arestopped and reversed.
 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein there are atleast two pathways for carriages holding lumber and each of the at leasttwo pathways for carriages runs from the first end to the second endbetween the first side and the second side.
 3. The structure of claim 1wherein the carriages ride upon tracks.
 4. The structure of claim 1wherein heat is applied to the at least two subsections through use ofsteam heat which passes through heat exchangers exposed to moving air inthe at least two subsections.
 5. The structure of claim 1 wherein air inthe at least two subsections is heated via one or more direct firedburners.
 6. The structure of claim 1 wherein the at least twosubsections is are subdivided into an even number of subsections ofequal length.
 7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the at least twosubsections is are subdivided into a number of subsections such that asum of a set of lengths of subsections receiving air flow in the onecirculation direction is equal to a sum of a set of lengths ofsubsections receiving air flow in the different circulation direction.8. The structure of claim 1 wherein at least one subsection has a firesuppression system adapted to work better with air circulation in theone circulation direction than with air circulation in the differentcirculation direction.
 9. The structure of claim 1 wherein a firesuppression system has instruments placed to detect fires better whenair circulation is in the one circulation direction than with aircirculation in the different circulation direction.
 10. The structure ofclaim 1 wherein a fire suppression system has fire suppression nozzlesplaced to suppress fires better when air circulation is in the onecirculation direction than with air circulation in the differentcirculation direction.
 11. A main drying section within a structure forcuring lumber, the main drying section comprising: at least one pathwayfor carriages holding lumber; a first end of the main drying section foringress of carriages holding lumber; a second end of the main dryingsection for egress of carriages holding lumber; a first side locatedbetween the first end and the second end; a second side located betweenthe first end and the second end such that the at least one pathway forcarriages runs from the first end to the second end between the firstside and the second side; a set of partition baffles to subdivide themain drying section into at least two subsections, the partition bafflesoperating to allow passage of carriages holding lumber towards thesecond end but interfere with a longitudinal flow of air from the firstend towards the second end or from the second end towards the first end;and fans operating in a unidirectional mode to cause air flow to move inone circulation direction within a subsection but in a differentcirculation direction opposite of the one circulation direction in anadjacent subsection so that the air flow alternates between travelingacross the carriage holding lumber from the first side to the secondside in one subsection and from the second side to the first side in theadjacent subsection whereby the carriages holding lumber traverse fromthe first end of the main drying section to the second end of the maindrying section without being in a subsection where all the fans arestopped and then reversed.
 12. A method of curing lumber wherein lumberis stacked upon a first carriage with spacers to allow air flow acrossthe lumber to be dried, the method using a structure comprising,: atleast one pathway for carriages holding lumber to be dried; a first endof the structure for ingress of carriages holding lumber on the at leastone pathway; a second end of the structure for egress of carriages onthe at least one pathway; a main drying section located between thefirst end and the second end; the main drying section receiving heatinput to dry the lumber to be dried; a set of partition baffles tosubdivide the main drying section into at least two subsections, thepartition baffles operating to allow passage of carriages holding lumberto be dried towards the second end but interfere with a longitudinalflow of air from the first end towards the second end or from the secondend towards the first end; the method comprising: advancing the firstcarriage carrying lumber to be dried stacked upon the first carriagewith spacers to allow air flow across the lumber on the at least onepathway towards the first end of the structure; and advancing the firstcarriage into the first end of the structure and continuing to move thefirst carriage through the structure and out through the second end ofthe structure to submit the lumber on the first carriage to air flow ina series of at least two subsections, with each subsection having airflow moving in only a one first circulation direction or a differentcirculation direction opposite of the one first circulation direction;and such that the first carriage moving from the first end to the secondend is exposed alternatively to air moving in the one first circulationdirection across the lumber then to air moving in the differentcirculation direction without a need to reverse fans from the one firstcirculation direction to the different circulation direction.
 13. Themethod of claim 12 where the one first circulation direction moves airflow across the first carriage from a first side of the structure to asecond side of the structure.
 14. The method of claim 12 where the onefirst circulation direction moves air flow across the first carriagefrom a second side of the structure to a first side of the structure.15. The method of claim 12 wherein the first carriage traveling throughthe main drying section is exposed to a same duration of air flow movingin the one first circulation direction as to air flow moving in thedifferent circulation direction.
 16. The method of claim 12 wherein thefirst carriage moves continuously through the structure from the firstend to the second end.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein the firstcarriage is moved intermittently from the first end to the second end.18. The method of claim 12 wherein the fans circulating air in thesubsections of the structure continue to move air without stopping andreversing fan direction for an entire time that the first carriage iswithin the structure.
 19. The method of claim 12 wherein the main dryingsection is heated by steam passing through heat exchangers exposed tomoving air.
 20. The method of claim 12 wherein air used in the maindrying section is heated through use of a direct fire burner.
 21. Amethod of curing lumber wherein lumber is stacked upon a first carriagewith spacers to allow air flow across the lumber to be dried, the methodusing a structure comprising: at least one pathway for carriages holdinglumber to be dried; a first end of the structure for ingress ofcarriages holding lumber on the at least one pathway; a second end ofthe structure for egress of carriages on the at least one pathway; amain drying section located between the first end and the second end;the main drying section receiving heat input to dry the lumber to bedried; a set of partition baffles to subdivide the main drying sectioninto at least two subsections, the partition baffles operating to allowpassage of carriages holding lumber to be dried towards the second endbut interfere with a longitudinal flow of air from the first end towardsthe second end or from the second end towards the first end; the methodcomprising: advancing the first carriage carrying lumber to be driedstacked upon the first carriage with spacers to allow air flow acrossthe lumber on the at least one pathway towards the first end of thestructure; and advancing the first carriage into the first end of thestructure and continuing to move the first carriage through thestructure and out through the second end of the structure to submit thelumber on the first carriage to air flow in a series of at least twosubsections, with each subsection having air flow moving in only a firstcirculation direction or a different circulation direction opposite ofthe first circulation direction; and such that the first carriage movingfrom the first end to the second end is exposed alternatively to airmoving in the first circulation direction across the lumber then to airmoving in the different circulation direction without a need to reversean air flow circulation direction from the first circulation directionto the different circulation direction within either of the at least twosubsections.
 22. The method of claim 21 where the first circulationdirection moves air flow across the first carriage from a first side ofthe structure to a second side of the structure.
 23. The method of claim21 where the first circulation direction moves air flow across the firstcarriage from a second side of the structure to a first side of thestructure.
 24. The method of claim 21 wherein the first carriagetraveling through the main drying section is exposed to a same durationof air flow moving in the first circulation direction as to air flowmoving in the different circulation direction.
 25. The method of claim21 wherein the first carriage moves continuously through the structurefrom the first end to the second end.
 26. The method of claim 21 whereinthe first carriage is moved intermittently from the first end to thesecond end.
 27. The method of claim 21 wherein advancing the firstcarriage into the first end of the structure and continuing to move thefirst carriage through the structure and out through the second end ofthe structure to submit the lumber on the first carriage to air flow ina series of at least two subsections, with each subsection having airflow moving in only the first circulation direction or the differentcirculation direction opposite of the first circulation directionsubjects the first carriage to air flow across the lumber to be driedfor an entirety of the time that the first carriage is within thestructure.
 28. The method of claim 21 wherein the main drying section isheated by steam passing through heat exchangers exposed to moving air.29. The method of claim 21 wherein air used in the main drying sectionis heated through use of a direct fire burner.
 30. The method of claim21 wherein the air flow moving in only the first circulation directionor the different circulation direction opposite of the first circulationdirection is circulated using a set of fans located with the structure.31. The method of claim 21 wherein the air flow moving in only the firstcirculation direction or the different circulation direction opposite ofthe first circulation direction is circulated using a set of fanslocated in openings in a center wall that extends above a fan decklocated above the at least first pathway for carriages holding lumber.